Today at Holy Mass we hear from the Gospel of St Matthew….The text addresses a reality of discipleship that many ignore…To follow Christ means you will have enemies - Period Full Stop!…….”Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name”……This is where the rubber meets the road for some and because of this reality, many “walk away” or water down the Truth, creating a “god” in their own image and likeness - To “please the crowd”…..Jesus himself had enemies because he spoke the Truth and know this….If you speak the Truth and follow Christ - So will you…..One may ask…How can someone deny something that is true?…Something which will help them?……We witness this everyday……And this sight to behold is nothing short of tragic……In the first reading from Mass today St Stephen was speaking the Truth and the people who heard him not only had no response to what he was saying but the text tells us….”They cried out in a loud voice and covered their ears”……Tragic!……The Gospel written centuries ago is played out today in real time over and over again….Jesus tells us very clearly……You are going to have a tough time if you follow me! - That is part of the deal people!…He also tells us…………….”whoever endures to the end will be saved”………..This implies going to heaven is not a given, like most Americans believe….Going to heaven is a battle, mostly against our self……Going to heaven is a daily choice and if we choose it, you will most assuredly have enemies in this world…..In the Beatitudes, which are the “blue print” given to us from Christ himself on how to get to heaven, Jesus addresses this reality…..”Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you”……..This is the good news - People will sometimes surprise you…And God does not give up on anyone…And nor should we…While there is still breath, there is hope
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD: the LORD is God and has given us light”
Observing human behavior on social media and in politics is interesting…..The smartest people can be the most illogical and act against their own interests…There are many reasons why people do this…Pride, wounds, love of money, fear of rejection - we can go on and on…….. I have learned that arguments can not change that in a person……Only God can and he constantly is reaching a hand to people…But ultimately we make a choice - And time does run out……Years ago, I attend a lecture with a friend of mine who is an engineer….My friend had “issues” with the Catholic Church……The lecture was given by a Jesuit Priest……This priest by the way was brilliant and his talk was focused on the existence of God without using any religious dogmas in his argument….That God in fact does exist and human reason proves it…..The argument was flawless…..I would dare say, there was not one person on the face of the earth who could have refuted this priest's positions and trying to do so simply would make such a person look foolish to anyone who was objective…After this lecture I went to lunch with my friend, who was brilliant in his own right….I assumed he thought the lecture was amazing as I did…To my surprise, my friend did not…His exact words..”I do not agree with the priest’s math”…..I thought to myself - How?…..The argument presented was flawless - But that was not the problem…The problem was within the heart of my friend…He was not willing to change his life and because of that, there was no argument, no matter how logical, no matter how factual, no matter how flawless, which would result in him accepting the conclusion that God is real and that God is synonymous with the Truth….My friend did not have a “head” problem…He had a “heart” problem….We see this same “problem” all around us today……I have learned that we can not argue people into the Church…All we can do is give witness to the Truth….The “fruits of that witness” should speak for itself - Right?…Sadly, even then, some people will not acknowledge reality….Even when they suffer because of their choice…And that is tragic to see - Truly tragic!…..Jesus was God and he preformed miracles and gave the best “witness” the world ever saw…And the world killed him - And many refused to change their life….How can we possibly think we can do any better then God himself…..We must accept that some people will not accept the Truth…That some will not change…And some despite everything they see….Will double and triple down on bad choices…However, people will sometimes surprise you…And God does not give up on anyone…And nor should we…While there is still breath, there is hope
“Into your hands I commend my spirit; you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God. I will rejoice and be glad because of your mercy”
Today in the first reading from Mass we hear about how St Stephen was murdered for speaking the Truth…The people not only could not refute Stephen’s arguments but when they realized they had nothing to say, they literally as the text tells us - “covered their ears”…..Now this is the interesting part….Watching all this in real time was a man named Saul…Saul was the leader of the mob and fully on board with the murder of Stephen….However, something happened to Saul as he watched this scene….Saul began to change….And in time, Saul did in fact change and became who we know today as Paul.....And Paul became a saint!…..Not just any saint either…St Paul preached to the known world of his time relentlessly and his writings are read to this very day…..As I stated above…..People can sometimes surprise you!…And God does not give up on anyone…And nor should we…While there is still breath, there is hope…Our job is not to worry about “changing people”…Our job is to be consistent…..To speak first with our actions, grounded in love and Truth - Then with our words…… And to leave the rest to God……But know this…..”In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world”…..While there is still breath, there is hope
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